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| Photograph ©Keith Stokes |
Preserved by the dedicated citizens of Hanover just eight years after its closure in the mid-1800s, this Pony Express station stands as a testament to the importance of preserving history. Beyond its historical significance, the station has earned a reputation for being haunted, drawing in numerous visitors each year.
Accounts from visitors resonate with phantom echoes of hoofbeats racing past the building, accompanied by boisterous shouts from unseen riders. Strikingly, these spectral sounds manifest not only in the cloak of night but also under the broad daylight. Witnesses have described an abrupt and drastic drop in temperature, creating unexplained cold spots in the surrounding air.
The apparitions of men, clad in chaps and cowboy hats, have been witnessed by many on the station grounds. These spectral figures materialize distinctly but vanish into thin air upon closer inspection. Some claim to have encountered the spirited presence of Mr. Great Hollenberg himself, believed to be the mischievous entity responsible for rearranging items throughout the building and occasionally concealing objects.
Another poignant apparition is that of a former Pony Express rider who met a tragic end during a delivery. Ambushed by Indians, the young man was found dead with severed fingers, a missing tongue, and arrows protruding from his back. His tormented spirit has been witnessed appearing on the floor of a room, bleeding and in agony, only to vanish into the unknown. This same spectral rider has been spotted wandering the grounds at nightfall, his ethereal form marked by bleeding wounds.
While paranormal activity reaches its zenith during the summer months, the museum remains open year-round, inviting brave souls to explore the spectral history that lingers within the walls of this preserved Pony Express station.
